Highdale Day Nursery

Highdale Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Highdale Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY313458 Inspection date 28 March 2006 Inspector Carol Cox

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Highdale Day Nursery

Setting Address School Lane, Highdale Avenue, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 7LT Telephone number 01275 872345

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E-mail

Registered person Highdale Day Nursery Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Highdale Day Nursery was registered by the present owners in 2005. It operates from 2 large playrooms in purpose built premises situated near to the centre of Clevedon. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each week day from 08:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. The children enjoy access to a large outside garden and play area. There are currently 56 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 39

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 receive funding for nursery education. Children come from Clevedon and surrounding villages and towns. The nursery has experience of supporting children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs ten staff including a cook. Six of the staff who work with children have appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children's health is effectively promoted through well written policies and procedures which are clearly understood and implemented by experienced staff. There are stringent exclusion policies when children are sick to prevent spread of infection. These are displayed on parents notice boards and included in the welcome pack. Staff are proactive in helping children learn good self care skills, for example children happily explain when and why they should wash their hands to prevent illness. They make decisions about their own care needs supported by sensitive staff, for example when the children are playing outside one boy said he was hot and took off his coat, a member of staff helped him hang it up where he could reach it if he got cold. Older children have excellent large muscle skills and enjoy showing how fast they can pedal bikes and expertly make pathways around others. Younger children are

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Helping children to be healthy

encouraged and supported by staff to extend their skills. Staff plan very effectively for the use of the outdoor areas and children move freely in and out for much of the day, enjoying using tools and toys outside to create their own games and models. Staff are vigilant in safeguarding children's health when administering medication. They carefully record all information and guidance from parents and others and all medication administered is meticulously recorded, signed and dated by staff and parents. Staff are conscientious in ensuring that all food and drinks meet the individual requirements of each child and encourage children to enjoy fresh fruits, milk and water. The cook prepares fresh food every day and children benefit from the wide range of foods on offer, including foods from other cultures. Staff talk to children about their health and physical needs and children are able to explain why foods

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Helping children to be healthy

such as fruit and milk help their bodies grow and stay healthy. Parents detail their children's particular food needs which are carefully recorded and adhered to. Sample menus are posted on the parents board and a record is kept of each child's food intake.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are very well cared for in an environment which is carefully planned and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 checked by staff daily. The playroom is warm and colourfully decorated with many examples of children's own work. Staff are vigilant about safety and make regular risk assessments to ensure children are safe at all times. For example, regular fire drills are held to ensure all staff and children know exactly how to evacuate the building. However, children's safety might be compromised by the entrance gate which is not monitored during children's arrival times and is sometimes left open. High staff ratios mean that children can practise road safety skills on well supervised visits to discover more about their community. For example, when children enjoyed a walk around their neighbourhood to discover and identify numbers, they practised crossing roads and talked about being safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are very well protected by the excellent child protection policy and procedures which are well known by all staff, who attend regular training and have experience of working in partnership with parents and professionals. The child protection policy and procedure are regularly updated and shared with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Knowledgeable and experienced staff plan very carefully to meet the learning needs of all the children who attend. Children relish well resourced free play periods when they begin to make choices about their own learning. The learning and development of younger children is particularly enhanced through the use of the Birth to three matters framework. All activities are supported to allow children of all ages to explore and experiment. Children enjoy sensory play, using materials such as gloop, pastes, soil, sand and water. They develop very good language skills as they comfortably chat with staff about their games and discoveries. Key workers carefully record observations and assessments of children's progress with photographs and children's own work, complemented by well written observations. As children progress towards the pre-school group staff work closely to ensure a smooth transition to the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

foundation stage curriculum. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children make excellent progress in all areas of learning through play activities. Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage curriculum and use their skills effectively to support children's learning in both adult led and child initiated activities. Children's achievements are carefully recorded and illustrated with photographs and examples of their work. These records are used to assess their progress and to plan for future learning. The weekly plans clearly identify learning objectives for individual children. Key workers know their children very well and use this knowledge to help support and challenge children. For example, a key worker recognised that a three year old had made a splendid attempt to write his name on a picture. She showed great enthusiasm for his attempts and affirmed his writing by sounding out his letters. Both

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

key worker and child were extremely pleased with his achievements. Children enjoy making marks with different implements and are aware that marks have meanings. For example, a three year old girl explained that the labels on the drawers 'say what

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 is in there'. Children recognise their name cards from both the written form and their photographs, older and more able children are beginning to recognise familiar words around them. Staff help children learn sounds through routine activities such as naming the day at register time, 'm is for Monday'. Children enjoy counting in games and everyday activities and more able children are beginning to calculate simple numbers and predict which number comes next in a sequence. They enjoy free access to a wide range of materials to design and construct their own models and demonstrate excellent construction and creative skills. They learn about their world through regular visits in their neighbourhood and exploring their nursery garden. For instance, children showed immense excitement

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

on discovering a worm in the playground when it was raining. They called others to come and look and discussed with the adults where it was best to re-home it. They drew on learning from a bug hunting session they had enjoyed the previous week. Children with special educational needs are given experienced and knowledgeable support from staff, who are supplemented by a worker from a local opportunity playgroup. Staff ensure that all children can participate fully and are expert at adapting activities to meet the individual needs of children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children behave very well and learn about how their behaviour may affect others. Staff use a consistent approach to behaviour management and spend time talking with children. Children are praised wholeheartedly for their efforts and learn to care for others. They have very close relationships with staff and are happy and confident in their care. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted. Children learn about the different lives and needs of people. For example, children experienced sensory impairment through simple blindfold games when they discovered what life might be like for a person who cannot see. They relish learning about the festivals from different cultures and experiencing different foods, for example the children's favourite meal is chicken curry with nan bread. The partnership with parents is outstanding. Staff provide many opportunities for

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Helping children make a positive contribution

parents to learn about their children's progress. There are notice boards, newsletters and parents evenings to help parents learn about the events and learning topics and parents are invited to contribute to activities. For example, Rodgie the dog goes home with children and parents help document his time with them to share with other children. Staff build good relationships with parents and give clear guidance about how children learn, parents have recently been given information about emergent writing, to help them recognise and value their children's mark making.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children flourish in the well-organised nursery, which offers two large playrooms and

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 an interesting outside play area. Good staff ratios ensure that the needs of all children are identified and met by staff who are well qualified and committed to ongoing professional development. Clear policies and procedures mean that children enjoy a consistently high quality of care. There are rigorous systems in place to ensure the suitability of existing staff and clear recruitment procedures when new staff are required. The nursery meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Leadership and management is outstanding. Staff are well qualified to meet the learning needs of the children. There are effective systems for monitoring the quality of education and a commitment by all the staff to provide high-quality nursery education.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure children's safety especially at arrival and departure times

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 of nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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